This is a six track e.p. release from Swedish thrashers Septekh, this is their second e.p. and they have released one demo, no full length yet, this will have to be sorted!! Kicks of with the lovely titled “Fuckslut From Hell” which is a blast of punky, thrashy metal and this e.p does not let up. Six tracks blasting in at just over twenty two minutes, good fast paced material well played by this band who I had not know about until I got this to review. Good vocals from Nils on this a mixture of deep death metal type ones and raspy clean ones, nice mix which works well. The band are pretty tight musically and all are very proficient on their instruments. David is a very decent guitarist playing some good riffs and Patrik and Staffan on bass and drums are solid indeed.

Well what do you get from this band? You get a very decent sample of what they are about, all six tracks are decent.

My favourite track on this release would be “Not Quite What I Had In Mind” which is a good track with some very decent guitar work in it, but I liked all six tracks to be honest, I am a sucker for thrashy, punky death style metal and this ticks the boxes for me.

A good release and it is an appetiser for the full length that this band have in them and one I eagerly await!

Rocking Corpses do not necessarily play too many mind any kind of watches, but somehow I have the itch, the orchestra will still be heard. Rock 'n' Rott is of course only a relatively young band's debut, but yes, here now as much a personal concept is, you would think that the order can be found.

Music is really the basis of sheer classic rock 'n' roll and blues hevivivahtein, yes, but do not worry this metal is not calculated. What, then, is this so special? Well, these are rock snobs happily caught up in the zombie work to do and, above all, death meta list of familiar songs sewer department. This, together with the more traditional songs of pure, may therefore guaranteed to confuse some, but when alkuhämmästyksestä tokeni, began to sink as a combination of bullet ysimillisen zombies frontal lobe.

One fascinating fact sheet is that the spirit of kingdiamondmaiseen it tells a story. I do not know the order in which Tony devil himself would DK and Leper Laze music and lyrics are done, but somehow the dynamics of the disc is not quite iskevin possible, even if the story progressing nicely between songs. Among the shit does not actually exist, but the second half of the 925 in all pirteydessään and poppimaisuudessaan always a bit sylettää, although it again Stoori is understandable. In any case, they are the toughest rallies are otherwise exactly the end of the disk. Best rises bearing the name of the band Rocking Corpses, which simply remains in good sense consciousness, because it has been kertsiin quality hooks. The good ones are also in the Dead of Night and Necrophiliacs, as well as the first half of For Better For Worse, but somehow there puck to the top would have wanted something menevämpääkin bet.

Riff side of the disc is rather traditional rock stuff, and does not include the wonders, but the biggest täkyt found in good vocal melodies and styles in one of the Atonement. Still, at least just singing styles could use a little balance: clean and viemäriörinöitä will now almost certainly the disc thoroughly and more often than not in good balance, but for some reason, Glenn Danzig-sound for the benefit of the second half of the two paragraphs. Is it good enough that it should be listened to accentuate. Dead End Drive decision in turn heard quite Motörhead-mental, dirtier sound of the song, so both gold cucumbers show that versatility is found.

It is interesting to see how the rock bodies of people hit combo, but the piece very much eager to listen to the band's next album. Then the Rock 'n' Rottin recordings dynamic duo Tony DK Leper Laze and has received the support of drummer Vilen, so hopefully Rocking Corpses rotting ruhonsa also drag show on pallets.

Rating: 7.5

This review was originally written in Finnish and has been translated using Google Translate. To view the original review in Finnish click the link below.

GODHATE - THE THRONEAEON YEARS PART I - WITH SARDONIC WRATH CD - $12.00 + S/H

With Sardonic Wrath1. Despise For God2. Sardonic Wrath3. Blasphemous Prediction4. Entwined To The Lies Of The LightDemo '955. Before The Throne Of Stone6. Liers In Wait7. Upon The Sinners Cross8. Ancestral Belief9. North winds Of HateCarnage10. Carnage Of The Christian 11. Ancestral Belief12. Upon The Sinners Cross13. Sacrilegious FeastPreviously Unreleased Tracks14. Consecration To Satan15. Prophet Impaled

Welcome to the first installment of my two-part feature involving the latest, deadliest offerings from Abyss Records. Founded by Dan Ferguson in 2008, the label has since stretched its bloodied talons around the globe, always in search of the hardest-hitting outfits from various areas of extreme music.

First up, are Norwegian black metal devastators, Fester. A Celebration of Death marks the band’s return after going off the radar for about seventeen years. Here, the band’s sound takes on a more menacing and raw approach than past efforts. Old-school riffs and the raspy screech of vocalist Thomas Andresen drag the listener into decidedly grimy depths on the slower, doomier numbers like “The Black Tower” and “March of Death”, as well as the more aggressively paced “I’ll Hunt You Down!” When all is said and done, the rest of the record follows suit, making for a solid effort, save for a bit of a repetitious lull a little after the midway point. Ears perk up again for the closer, “A Face for a Funeral”, and an industrial remix of sorts from that pointy-nosed, demonic elf guy, Mortiis!

The latest effort from Desultor (not to be confused with fellow Swedes, the somewhat legendary Desultory) appears to be an experiment in melodic death and thrash gone completely off the deep end. Upon first listen, a comparison to acts such as Devin Townsend’s Strapping Young Lad and Seattle’s own Nevermore are undeniable. “Another World” and “Division Insane” are prime examples of what kind of destruction this duo is capable of. “And So We Bleed…” ignites like a hellish pipebomb, further showcasing that same kind of fury. “The Luxury of Pain” serves as a somber instrumental intermission before the whirlwind of “Caged” lets the listener know the journey’s not over just yet. Energetic and seemingly locked into warp speed, Desultor (aside from their suspicious name choice) undoubtedly know exactly what they’re doing.

Hailing from Anchorage, Alaska, the trio known as Thousand Year War present their latest release in the form of ten raging, blackened death, with occasional stylistic similarities to that of Swedish fanatics of Viking lore, Amon Amarth. Vocals range from low growl to black metal screech, and fit well with the march-into-battle feel of the instrumentation. “Defiance”, “The Sea” (involving vocalist Hiram Lohr’s fondness for the briny deep), “Open Casket”, and a galloping take on Immortal’s “The Storm I Ride” are all definite highlights of Tyrants and Men. “Weak souls fight their battles, I will never kneel!”

After nothing more than a handful of demo releases, Swedish old school thrash-a-holic warriors, Entrench bring a full-length release to the extreme music table in the form of Inevitable Decay. It’s a safe bet that at first listen, one can easily feel like they’ve been zapped back to the mid-80’s, when high tops and painted on denim was all the rage in thrash circles. This whole thing sounds like it was recorded back then. Where style is concerned, it’s like classic Kreator, Kill ‘Em All-era Metallica, and Slayer all went in on a bastard lovechild and the angry outcome was Entrench. Headbanging little ditties like “Debt of Sorrow”, “Portrait of a Phobia”, and the closer, “Where Only Ruins Remain” are all sure to get fists pumping in a hairnado-filled frenzy of metal thrashing madness. You have been warned!

After two years away from full-length "Fractal" here return to the attack the Tuscan Humangled with a new EP and intense. The tracks are four, which we will see shortly, and work out for the "Abyss Records", titled " Odd Ethics ". Starting dall'opener " Needles of the Blind ", the Humangled immediately link to a composition divided , made ​​up of a number of riffs that fit very well with sudden changes of tempo and rhythm that give the track a trend that continually lash the listener, thus keeping the interest high. riffing The initial " Skinned, to Feel All "has a something hypnotic in its particular cadenced, then buy a good dose of malignancy with the excellent integration of clean arpeggios (as has been able to teach the dear school Slayeriana) between the powerful distortions. " Smells Acrid "is pressing and hammering, an earthquake doppiacassa riffing and grinding notes followed by a frantic vocal line. The sound tight and granite gives way, just for a few seconds, a slow section very interesting, and then set off the attack until the end. Bell'intro for " Deny Your Creed ", where each instrument gives its particular imprint, about also a good recording that allows us to appreciate each of the protagonists. The track is perhaps the most schizophrenic with its many and sudden changes of direction, concludes this EP that heralds an interesting large piece of work ... Beautiful dark and rough the growling of the singer, dissonant enough and malignant two guitars, fluid and the work of the sub-bodied rhythm. All this in the four devastating tracks that make up ' Odd Ethics 'EP which will be absolutely appreciated by those who expected the sequel to "Fractal" and that inspire you to hear more details about the Humangled for the first time.

This review was originally written in Italian and has been translated using Google Translate. To view the original review in Italian click the link below.

This barely known Italian death metal band has been in existence since 1996, but didn't start putting out material till 2007 and a full-length in 2010. This EP is only about 15 minutes in length, however, it's an amazing onslaught of pure powerful crunch tone destruction (guitar wise). There are no leads here, just rhythm guitar riffs that are very well put together and catchy. On the vocal department, they mix hoarse vox in combination with some mild screams. It fits well with the music.

There are 5 members in this band and I think that if they keep putting out music like they have been, I believe that they're going to be highly successful. Their abilities to play some original guitar riffs with a slight groove base to them then they're going to go onto something bigger I think. What I always look for in metal are the guitars and production quality. Here there's a combination of like I said original guitar work alongside a solid production. The overall sound of the EP has a mild echo to it. Everything is mixed well and it's good that there were no solos.

I think that for the most part, this EP is a demonstration of how death metal should be played. Guitars playing fast but the drums contain no blast beating that with some bands can be boring. Odd Ethics is a demonstration of sheer talent from a musical perspective. These members dish out riffs that are well played out and original. It sounds like they tune down to maybe B-tuning. It's really heavy guitar but definitely memorable and entirely innovative.

The vocals sounded good with the combination of throat not just low bellowing monotonous voice, but a mixture of 2 tones. I liked the guitar riffs the most because as I previously stated they were original and featured tremolo picked overtures combined with slower variations. The production made this EP totally awesome. Everything is in unison and nothing drowns out the music, vocals or drums. All was entirely well mixed.

If you haven't ever heard of Humangled and you're a death metal fan, I'd recommend that you pick up this EP! It's so awesome you won't be disappointed. Don't expect something really fast though, expect variety in songwriting. Hopefully in time this band will put out another full-length CD, but for now be sure to enjoy for what's in store for you during the time you listen to this EP. It's brilliant, original, innovative, well produced and overall a fine addition to your death metal collection!

If anyone has any questions, if only there were bands Sweden technical and melodic death, here is a patent proof that every so often also have space for this type of genre much more radical and brutal, and that is that in the case Fetus Stench of not talking to some guys who also met just a couple of months and suddenly they came an album of this magnitude. These people already have an extensive background in other Scandinavian groupings as are under the Blood Red Throne, Slaughterous and The Law, so you should not feel surprised when you hear this album so damn brutal themes and high-caliber. It is true, they still find those bands that leave gringo in the early nineties in Malevolent Creation or Immolation plan, although some similarities are to the side of people like Hate Eternal, Dying Fetus or the same Swedish Aeon, which this also I come as one of the best examples of that death gritty and warlike Swedish native land. The mass sonic sound totally stressing further the impact caused listen to a drummer as well as all the technical and Emil Wiksten (also in Blood Red Throne) shown simply unstoppable and a whole gun so devastating cuts as "Meat Grinder Flesh Obliteration "(an opener simply awe)," Brennkommando "Tuca Tuca is pure merciless. Although, of course, have not neglected those more technical riffs though equally poisonous as shown in "The Outer Island" and "Servere Suffering", but "technical" style no Gothenburg, but in a more traditional sense, as previously has been achieved also enjoy bands like Nile or Morbid Angel. "Necrosis" is another huge piece of the old death metal, and if still not enough you can also get even "Bashed Defaced and Disfigured". Eye deparan the end you with that amazing "By Butchery Divorced" that despite starting slowly dragged and bolt ends up with an arsenal of riffs to every beast thanks to the insane vocalist Andreas "Björte" Björnson that it along this plate will leave dwarfed in a corner with his big booming voice. More details and info on these Fetus Stench directly http://www.facebook.com/fetusstench and in http://www.myspace.com/fetusstench.

Rating: 8.5/10

This review was originally written in Spanish and has been translated using Google Translate. To view the original review in Spanish click the link below.

Live in Poland - Krakow 96-03-011. A Sea to Suffer in 2. The Songless Bird 3. The Crown of Sympathy 4. The Thrash of Naked Limbs 5. The Cry of Mankind 6. Your River 7. Black Voyage 8. Your Shameful Heaven 9. From Darkest Skies 10. The Forever People

“Let’s blast the fuck out of everything and play as fast and brutal as possible!” Andreas "Björte" Björnson explains the Fetus Stench mantra.

They won’t do much for your olfactory senses but Sweden’s mighty Fetus Stench aural blast will have your hearing curling into position.

"Playing music for fun instead of for cash is way better.” When the members of his previous bands had their sights set on being the next Metallica and generally taking the world by storm, swimming in a lake of krona (the Swedish currency, not a misspelling of the Mexican beer), Andreas "Björte" Björnson had ideas of keeping things more simple. Joining forces with ex-band mates and old friends, drummer Emil "Emil" Wiksten and bassist Kristian "Bullen" Karlsson, lead vocalist Björnson and co “were really fed up with everything and said, Let’s blast the fuck out of everything and play as fast and brutal as possible!” And so the life of Fetus Stench began.

The death metal quartet gelled over a love of heavy music, beer and being in stagnating metal bands. Merely months after they formed, Fetus Stench – completed by guitarist Christoffer "Illern" Ilber – was signed to Abyss records and earlier this year released a blistering debut album, Stillbirth. “I write most of the music,” Bjornson says after thinking back to the recording process. “I have a lot of ideas. I have been listening to death metal since I was 9 or 10 years old so I know exactly what I want to hear in the band.”

Bjornson wasn’t kidding. Stillbirth is a straight-down-the-line, fingers in the plug socket jolt of heavy death metal. It’s a crushing debut album by an exciting new Swedish band; a powerful display of guitar and vocals clashing with an insurmountable rhythm section. “We were fed up with everything and we had a lot of aggression and angst. There wasn’t anything happening in the other bands. Time stood still. We were like what are we gonna do? Let’s form another band just for the fun of it.”

The band may be having fun, however Stillbirth is anything but a jolly record, as you might imagine, which comes down to Bjornson’s lyrics. “For lyrics we are not that deep as people. We think that when you play this kind of music you must include gore and horror because it makes the music so much more powerful in a sense. We have in a couple of songs been singing about events that have happened in real life; for example The Outer Island, that song is about the events that happened in Norway last year,” Björnson says referring to the terrorist atrocities committed by Norwegian far-right fanatic Anders Breivik. The Outer Island, Björnson explains, translated to Swedish and then to Norweigan “makes Utøya”, the island where Breivik killed 69 of his 77 victims last year. “But we are not promoting that in anyway, we think it’s horrible and we’re just describing the events,” Bjornson states firmly. The rest of his lyrics have found influence mostly in drunken nights spent drinking beer and watching splatter movies; Dead Snow – a very funny Norwegian film about zombie Nazis terrorising a group of skiers – being one of his favourites.

One further sticking point that is bound to ruffle a few feathers (and, indeed, does) is the band’s name. The self-proclaimed “stupid Swede” describes the, admittedly stupid naming process: “It was me and our drummer Emil and a guy called Christian from our previous band Slaughterous. We had been out and drinking of course and we were taking the bus home and Christian, our guitarist in Slaughterous, decided to come up with cool song titles for our new song. It was called Dead Fetus Stench. We were like, Woah, that’s some awesome stuff! And a month later Slaughterous broke up and that’s when we decided to start Fetus Stench. Me and Emil said, Fuck, that title Dead Fetus Stench, that’s really brutal and cool. But we didn’t want to sound like Dying Fetus so we cut out the Dead...it’s grammatically incorrect, it should have been Foetal Stench, but whatever. Like I said, we are stupid Swedes so fuck it.”

But you must have known there would be a reaction to it? “Well really there have been a lot of way worse and obscure band names so I don’t think Fetus Stench should be that obscure. But, hey, I don’t care...” A lot of the reaction he says comes from “Americans on Blabbermouth (news website) that think that Lamb Of God is an obscure band name so when they hear Fetus Stench they must be like shitting their pants! I don’t know, we didn’t expect that people would react that strongly to it but it’s not a nice name,” he concedes.

“But all those negative comments they were about the band name and not about the music. That’s good I guess because I’ve heard some people that have heard the band name and were like, I don’t want to listen to that. But when they finally do they’re like, Holy shit this is actually some good stuff. So it was a positive reaction when they heard the music. That’s all good.”

Being admittedly “very, very orthodox when it comes to death metal; I like it old and raw,” Björnson is not impressed by many of his contemporaries in metal. “Where did it get death from in deathcore? I have no idea it’s such fucking bullshit,” he sighs. “What bands tend to do nowadays is too much focus on technicality or let’s show them how good we are on our instruments instead of writing riffs and good songs. That’s where a lot of bands fail today, I think. I don’t want to listen to a guy fucking sitting and shredding for 10 hours... it’s not music anymore it’s like a competition...I want to hear good music and get the adrenaline pumping, aggressive... as long as it’s fast and brutal I’m happy.”

This barely known Italian death metal band has been in existence since 1996, but didn't start putting out material till 2007 and a full-length in 2010. This EP is only about 15 minutes in length, however, it's an amazing onslaught of pure powerful crunch tone destruction (guitar wise). There are no leads here, just rhythm guitar riffs that are very well put together and catchy. On the vocal department, they mix hoarse vox in combination with some mild screams. It fits well with the music.

There are 5 members in this band and I think that if they keep putting out music like they have been, I believe that they're going to be highly successful. Their abilities to play some original guitar riffs with a slight groove base to them then they're going to go onto something bigger I think. What I always look for in metal are the guitars and production quality. Here there's a combination of like I said original guitar work alongside a solid production. The overall sound of the EP has a mild echo to it. Everything is mixed well and it's good that there were no solos.

I think that for the most part, this EP is a demonstration of how death metal should be played. Guitars playing fast but the drums contain no blast beating that with some bands can be boring. Odd Ethics is a demonstration of sheer talent from a musical perspective. These members dish out riffs that are well played out and original. It sounds like they tune down to maybe B-tuning. It's really heavy guitar but definitely memorable and entirely innovative.

The vocals sounded good with the combination of throat not just low bellowing monotonous voice, but a mixture of 2 tones. I liked the guitar riffs the most because as I previously stated they were original and featured tremolo picked overtures combined with slower variations. The production made this EP totally awesome. Everything is in unison and nothing drowns out the music, vocals or drums. All was entirely well mixed.

If you haven't ever heard of Humangled and you're a death metal fan, I'd recommend that you pick up this EP! It's so awesome you won't be disappointed. Don't expect something really fast though, expect variety in songwriting. Hopefully in time this band will put out another full-length CD, but for now be sure to enjoy for what's in store for you during the time you listen to this EP. It's brilliant, original, innovative, well produced and overall a fine addition to your death metal collection!

Disc 1:Tracks 1-5 taken from Jhva Elohim MethTracks 6-7 from Dance of December SoulsTracks 8-9 from War Compilation Volume One ("Black Erotica" is an earlyversion of "12" from Brave Murder Day.)Tracks 10-13 from For Funerals to Come

Disc 2:Tracks 1-2 taken from Brave Murder DayTracks 3-5 from Sounds of DecayTrack 6 is an unreleased song from Sounds of Decay sessionsTracks 7-10 from Saw You Drown

By the third track on Odd Ethics by Italian death metalers Humangled, there was only one direction to go after the completion of this review and that was straight to their back catalogue. The four track EP is the first introduction to The RR of the band but did not take long in ensuring it would not be the last. It is a deeply impressive release offering something different and fresh to a genre admittedly bursting with strong and powerful releases right now, though it is fair to say no one has the distinct smell and taste of Humangled.

From Pisa, the band began way back in the nineties with their first demo Anatomic Butchery appearing in 1996. Though it was well received the band broke up soon after, but in December 2006 vocalist Andrew Goreds and guitarist Luke Scurb joined up once more and Humangled was revived. The following year saw the Refoetalize EP and its unexpected storm of brutal death metal with electronic-industrial rhythms unveiled. The release was well received and after the release of the MCD Edge of Beyond in 2008, the band started work on their debut album Fractal, its acclaimed release coming in 2010 after the band signed with Abyss Records the same year. With guitarist Vhell Miscarriage, bassist Frank Nichols, and drummer Fred Valdaster alongside Goreds and Scurb, Humangled return again on Abyss with another impressive slab of their immense and enterprising metal. Produced and mixed like the album by Dan Swano, Odd Ethics is an imaginative and brutal corruptive pleasure.

Opener Needles Of The Blind takes no time in raging and stomping through the ear with juddering riffs and explosive, immediately demanding and getting full attention. It is a highly charged mix which ignites all the passions instantly, something not many death metal offerings manage to achieve, usually they have to wear the defences down a little first. With drops and surges in pace and energy, the track is an ever shifting onslaught rife with tumultuous riffs, finely crafted additive grooves, and inspiring imagination. Though it is arguably the most straight death metal track on the release the song is an innovative fury of diverse flavours to fire up the heart. Vocally Goreds conjures a mix of heavy guttural attacks and a caustic blackened delivery for a challenging and compulsive abrasion as direct and pleasing as the music.

The following Skinned, To Feel All opens with a hive of waspish riffs wrapped in a groove which burns on contact, its scorching touch upon the ear acidic and hypnotic. Musically the track is an eccentric blend of doom and sludge metal milked through a death driven rock n roll filter. It is a triumph, an insatiable and incessant grind upon the senses as addictive as any forbidden pleasure can be.

Smells Acrid steps up next to claim its chunk of flesh. As with its predecessor the song opens with a persistent and insistent shower of riffs, all drilled home with a hunger which cannot be appeased. Less rampant but just as forceful and eager as the song it replaced, the track creates a maelstrom of energy and intensity which is the nastiest yet and the most contagious.

The release closes with Deny Your Creed , a song whose initial presence suggests a slower more intense breath at the ear. Intense it certainly is but restraint is never on the cards as it fires a spiral of venomous riffs and spiteful grooves through the eagerly awaiting cavities. Though it shifts from gear to gear throughout, the song with breath stealing energy, bombards with thrash powered riffs and blood boiling sonic ferocity. It is a glorious finish to an exceptional release.

It would be amiss not to spotlight the musicianship within the band especially the skill and sheer brutal might of Valdaster. He is an unbridled beat tempest at times with the control and rhythmic leadership of a master, his skilled frame work and driving energy inspiring the rest of the band to ignite their individual craft.

The most eye-catching of this band is probably the presence of Allen West. Yes, the (former) guitarist include Obituary and Six Feet Under . And that's clearly be heard on the first album of (among others) his new brainchild, South Wicked .

This is death metal riffs terms very much like the work of Obituary at the time of World Dimise . However, the production is a lot better and some things adapted to today's standards but still predominates in this album that nostalgic feel. For me, that even as one of the plus points of this album. On the whole, the musicianship of course excellent. The grunt is fine. There is not really anything new or fancy but this is done with such conviction and skill that made ​​that does not even matter. The riffs easy hanging and the rhythm section is perfectly adjusted and that's ultimately what counts in the end result. And if with The Phantom Prince a kind of disguised tribute is brought to the Beastie Boys by striking resemblance to the song Sabotage breaks with me through the laughter.

This is a great oldschool death metal album and I hear there like a few passing. Just from time to time nice rag raggen.

Rating: 86/100

This review was originally written in Dutch and has been translated using Google Translate. To view the original review in Dutch click the link below.

As promised, fanatical fiends of the Forbidden…behold the second installment of the Abyss Records feature, examining the latest, greatest releases from the underground label! The records showcased this time around, are hot off the presses or represent what Abyss has in store for the remainder of 2012.

With Composition of Flesh, Swedish death metal miscreants, Corrosive Carcass, have conjured up a vile offering of blood-and-guts death metal. Yep, this is the soundtrack to an amateur autopsy via rusty hacksaw. Seemingly inspired by the likes of Entombed and the sludgy riffs of Domination-era Morbid Angel, this beast starts off solid with the likes of “Butchershop”, “Self Mutilation”, and “Necrotizing Fasciitis” blasting distorted riffing and a vocal approach similar to what it must sound like when someone chokes on a whole human heart. Meanwhile, another definite highlight, “Dawning Death” rages to the front lines with grinding ferocity and takes no prisoners. Though a bit of an airy echo effect is noticeable on occasion, and the drums sometimes become buried under all the madness, Composition of Flesh is sure to satisfy fans of the old school way of doing things!

Hailing from Pisa, Italy, the death squad known as Humangled return with their latest assault in the form of the four-track EP, Odd Ethics. Now operating as a five-piece, the band has once again evoked that same quirky spirit found on their 2010 debut full-length, Fractal. For further proof, one needs only to witness the opening track, “Needles of the Blind.” Much like on the band’s first release, the EP bears clear inspiration from death metal’s undeniable greats like Carcass and Death, while injecting elements of doom and thrash as needed for extra flavor, maintaining great production throughout. “Skinned, to Feel All” and “Smells Acrid” are the definite high point on Odd Ethics. Fans of 1990’s Swedish death and the band’s previous effort would be wrong to pass this up!

Karlstad, Sweden is the birthplace of gore-drenched death metal horde, Fetus Stench. The band’s latest effort, Stillbirth, offers up a steaming helping of grave-crushing rage that could possibly best be described as the mutant spawn of Cannibal Corpse and At The Gates. Opening number, “Meat Grinder Flesh Obliteration” is a perfect introduction of this monstrosity, featuring lyrics that whisk me away to the first time I heard the Tomb of the Mutilated. The opening riff of “Severe Suffering” has the same effect. “Bashed, Defaced, and Disfigured” (not to be confused with “Stripped, Raped, and Strangled”) is another must-hear ditty on this one, if not for the carpet-bombing percussion alone. Closing number, “By Butchery Divorced” offers the slowest material found on Stillbirth, only to erupt alternately into the previously-displayed carnage that Fetus Stench is clearly well-versed in executing. While not a huge fan of the band’s chosen moniker, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t totally dig this record.

Straight from the U.S. death metal capital, Florida’s own death squad, Southwicked, have just unleashed their debut full-length, Death’s Crown. Featuring Allen West (ex-Six Feet Under, ex-Obituary), Southwicked felt it was necessary to start this record off with a sample from Wes Craven’s 80’s horror flick, Shocker, which instantly won them points in my book. What follows is the appropriate kind of chaos, and it’s too damn bad this band missed the proverbial boat on possibly being included in the previously-mentioned film’s soundtrack. Those hungry for classic (i.e. Cause of Death and End Complete) Obituary should be satisfied with what they find here. Sludgy riffs and groove are in massive abundance throughout Death’s Crown, as are vocalist Sven Poets’ ravenous Chris Barnes-esque growls (which set Southwicked apart from West’s previous projects noticeably). Cleanly produced and solidly-structured, the record features joints like “Killing Spree”, “Phantom Prince”, and “Green River Killing Fields”, making this record a real killer! No more Mr. Nice Guy, indeed!

Clawing their way through the soil of Tampere, Finland, the ghoul patrol known as Rocking Corpses have returned from the grave to slay us all with a fatal dose of Rock n’ Rott. You want horror? You wanna party? You want death metal with a worm-ridden spoonful of beer-chugging rock n’ roll influence? Look no further! Looking at the cover of this record, with the band’s name on my mind, this is admittedly not what I expected…and it’s a good thing, damn it. The record’s first legitimate number, “Up From the Grave” immediately showcases the band’s mixture of clean, bluesy vocals and guttural death metal growls and the song is definitely a highlight, as is “For Better for Worse.” The thing is, sometimes it works…sometimes, not so much. But, when this band is on spot, they’re on fucking spot. For instance, “Take a Whiskey” makes the odd vocal approach work really well. “925” takes a noticeable turn, with minimal death metal approach in the vocals, and an early ‘90’s alternative sound. By the time “In the Dead of Night” kicks in, it becomes aware that Rocking Corpses return to their most effective form, even though the vocals remind me of the “Danzig” vocals on that “Hips Don’t Lie” mash-up. Sex, Drugs, Rock n’ Rott, regardless!

New EP for Pisani Humangled that after finding some success with their only full-leght "Fractal" to Abyss Records (Indianapolis) will launch a new experience with the EP "Odd Ethnics." Born initially as a duo Cyber-Grind, today is a reality Death Metal to be kept under observation. Of peculiarities in this band are the sounds sinister and voice that adds a touch of malice and dread making the atmosphere of the whole EP really interesting.Already with "Nedless of the Blind" You can tell that they are made ​​of these boys, 3 and a half minutes that do not seek to be the classic Death super-fast and direct right to blow some heads, but rather we see the care and refinement in a personal sound (absolutely vital nowadays) in which we can recognize in full. Even the plot of the riff is something pleasing and designed to give each step a soul that can have their say. "Skinned, Fell to All" emphasizes the sensations felt in the previous track. To give you just an idea, we're listening to something very similar (obviously talking about musical lines) of the Carcass "Swansong", which is a central melody gear and so much violence in the individual notes. I personally like, something that finally is shot 240bpm always."Acrid Smell" and how it should be, at least one track to the palpitations there must be. And it is this. A carpet of incessant double pedal and guitars that destroy your eardrums due to palm-mute unstoppable. Remarkable, however, the refrain that detaches completely rhythms previous bisecting the song, making it unique and enjoyable afternoon listening to a sitting or lying on the couch."Deny Your Creed" concludes this EP a few tracks but well done (and well recorded) . It adds nothing new, it's just another confirmation that these Humangled have far too much stuff to sell, and who are ready, more than ready for the release of their second album. Having a label American then hopefully that will give more hope to worldwide exposure because they deserve so much.'s not easy to find now band with its own soul and is able to transmit mainly playing Death Metal. then the conclusion is definitely worth more than one listen to your eardrums extremi, and I'm very curious to hear their future work.

Please present your label, when and where was it started, who is involved in its activities and what genres are promoted by it.

Abyss Records started August 2008 as a label full time, since then I have 40 total CD releases out, 2 12” vinyl releases and bunch of official merchandise as well some licensed stuff from Master, Obtained Enslavement, Impetigo and more to come from Vic Records artist and more…. As for genres I’m open to most as long as I’m into, but my heart is strongest for Old School Swedish Death, Black/Death, Black, Old Thrash, Old Crossover and some Doom stuff as well.

Tell us a few words on each or the most important releases of your label, and which of them are still available for purchase.

As of now (8/24/2012) all our releases are still available, couple titles are almost SOLD OUT and not sure will press more or not??? Christ Beheaded, Bulletwolf, F.U.C.T., Wan, and 1st pressing of Die Hard CD EP are all down to last copies then will be SOLD OUT when gone. Just released our 2nd LP release, DESULTOR (Swe) Masters Of Hate LP (Limited to 500 copies, 100 Die Hard Edition). Also DEAD HORSE Boiling 12” LP was first vinyl release limited to 1000 copies.

What are the most important features you look for in a band that is or has the chance to be signed on your label?

Talent…. hahaha A band that can or knows how to write a song and also MOST important I have to be into them personally. Most important the music must have feeling regardless what genre it may be.

How can a band get in touch with you? What should bands know before submitting their promos for your consideration?I like to see a band take control and present themselves professionally, but same time it doesn’t have to be done at famous studio, or have famous artwork, or even have to have so many friends on Facebook or MySpace or website to judge signing them. I go by the music and how it moves me on personal level. I have gotten little more picky since I started the label in August 2008, but most the bands come to me looking for support and I just pick and chose. A lot of great bands out there, many better than ones on bigger labels today.

What's the most important thing in the relationship between you and your bands? What is your label offering to its bands?

I try to keep a more personal like relationship between me and all bands, as well allow them to maintain the freedom to work, write new music, tour and do as they please and NOT told what they will do. I just feel that is important as a label.

Is there anything you planned with your label and has not yet been completed?

I have a bunch of killer releases coming up from some new artist to the label as well follow up releases too. Look for new releases out soon by: The Gardnerz (Swe), Daemonicus (Swe), Beer Pressure (Germany), Erupted (Swe), Bane (Serbia), Thousand Year War (U.S.), Mesopotamia (Nor), Angist (Iceland), Astrophobos (Swe), Maax (U.S.), Hordes Of Nebulah (U.S.) and more well into 2013.

How does the future looks for your label? Any major projects you would like to share with us?

I will keep doing things as long as I got the support and that seems to be growing as people discover our bands and actual BUY the CD/LP and or merchandise. People that keep downloading everything for FREE though will soon bring music industry to a hault soon if things don’t change there. Abyss Records is a great label and honored to be working with such amazing bands, I just hope to see more people take note of the hard work I do for the Underground scene for 20+ years now.

How can anyone get in touch with you? Please list your website, webstore and/or social media links.

Fourteen minutes. Only fourteen minutes. This is enough to Tuscan Humangled to demonstrate net, decided leap made ​​in the last two years. That is, from "Fractal", full-length on records that preceded (male, in this writer's opinion) this EP, "Odd Ethics" , released late last spring with the U.S. label Abyss Records. history of the combo of Pontedera, began in 1994 under the moniker Putrid Sequence, was studded with stylistic changes, lineup changes, split-up and reunion. The historic core formed by the duo Andrew Goreds / Luke Scurb never gave up, though, and now - really - it seems to have matured time to dream. The addition of a second guitarist (Vhell Miscarriage) alongside Scurb and the grafting of Frank Nichols (low) instead of Tat0 as well as the alternation of Fred Valdaster instead of Raffaele Pezzella behind the skins seems to have given new blood to band. In addition, he used the services of the ubiquitous producer / Swedish musician Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity) to the mixing console and burning of the famous Unisound Studios has allowed us to create a floppy (registered with Italians Melt Studio) by sound full, powerful, profound and professional. A sound perfectly suited to the current evolutionary state of the music of us, always focused on an old school death metal, but more marked rhythms, more mighty fast, full of references to the doom and its dark atmospheres. With this typing style appears in the sound, a strong character and a great personality. The combination of old school death / doom might not be original, but it is not stuff that you hear every day. In addition, the EP shows the necessary homogeneity between songs, very different from each other but stuck to the same trademark. Immersed in a dense fog sulfur, then wander the four pieces of "Odd Ethics", well-designed so as to be stored with relative ease - given the kind proposed, certainly not catchy. Also the alternation between growling and screaming is sufficiently balanced and, indeed, in parts scream is easy to recognize, with a hint of nostalgia but also of pleasure, a vocal style typical of black / thrash-death Italian in the second half of the 80s (Necrodeath, Schizo, ...). chilling The opening words of "Needles Of The Blind" is an apt encouragement to the hellish journey from figurative and Goreds members: riffoni massive, suffocating and mid-tempo that drag like a rotting corpse characterize the new era of Humangled. "Skinned, To Feel All" even acts as a temporal bridge to the beginning of the dark metal, when there were only Black Sabbath and a few other brave to tell the Songs of Ossian. The BPM climb with "Smells Acrid" , albeit without exaggeration, the constancy of a sound deliciously rotten and corrupt. "Deny Your Creed" Finally, between deceleration and acceleration, try to send via the refrain in mind, and succeed. Humagled The in the end, I am living proof that it is never too late to groped a different kind of artistic solutions, even when the years of his career are many and, therefore, the positions stylistic established. "Odd Ethics" suggests a future interesting for fans of the sector, and especially for the ensemble tricolor, probably - given the success of this work - he just needed a greater confidence in their own ability.

This review was originally written in Italian and has been translated using Google Translate. To view the original review in Italian click the link below.

Opus Diaboli - 13 Years of Black Metal Magic is the debut film by Watain.Directed by Johan Bääth and Watain.Produced by Watain and Johan Bääth inassociation with Chimney Pot and Masters of Audio

This is the first release on the band's own label His Master's Noise.The film tells the story about Watain both on and off stage as well asthe circumstances surrounding their career thus far.

Release formats:* DVD that apart from the DVD will also contain two bonus CDs including the audio recording of the full 13 Year Anniversary concert in Stockholm.* Limited vinyl box including the DVD, 2 audio CDs with the live recording, 2 LPs with the live recording, and a historical photobook containing old flyers and never seen before photos, most of them taken off stage. 12" box comes with embossed foil printed cover with sleeves.

In the review of Septekh's EP 'The Seth Avalanche' I mentioned that Septekh me somewhat intrigued. The band has self - consciously or not - a somewhat mysterious image fitted and the music of Sweden's great: raw, primitive, pure and passionate and wanted more. In anticipation of the debut album so already as sop an extensive interview with drummer Staffan Persson on the raison d'être of Septekh! (And of course Motörhead. Duh.)

Hi Staffan, I want to start with complementing you on your fabulous EP 'The Seth Avalanche'. It has been quite some time since I have been blown away by a debut EP in this way! How have reactions been so far, in Sweden and beyond?

Thank you very much! Feedback so far has been very positive from most corners of the world. People seem to be pleasantly surprised both by the record and when they see us live for the first time. One thing I find interesting is the variety of favorite tracks that people have. One reviewer might like all tracks except for one while another holds that track as the favorite of the album!

Is the 'The Seth Avalanche' a re-issue, or re-recording of your 2009 demo / EP 'Not Quite What I Had In Mind'?

It is more or less a re-issue: we redid some of the bass tracks and also did a new (way better) mix for it. Except for that it is the recording that was done way back in 2009. But I would say that this is the real first release of it since we only used the recording as promotion before. The plan was always to release it properly through a label.

Is the 2009 demo still available? And will those songs get a make-over someday, so the availability will be better?

You can download it from our site. You should never say never, but there are no plans to touch those old gems for now at least. We also have several other songs that has not ended up on an album or been attempted in the studio. What will happen with them? Time will tell.

Compliments on the lyrics as well. A lot of tongue in cheek humour thrown in the mix. It seems you have quite a firm grasp of the English language, Is this due to the Swedish schools, or have you been living in England for some time? What subjects inspire your lyrics?

Thanks. I think it is due to the school system and the fact that we get exposed to a lot of foreign culture while young here in Sweden. A typically bad move if you want the youth of your nation to learn English is to dub everything on television like they do in Germany for example!

Nils is the lyricist of the band and writes everything bar the odd line or title here and there. Typically he is inspired generally by life and events around him. There could be good or hilarious things but also more troubling matters that makes him wry. Sometimes the lyric or idea comes without the music but usually the inspiration really starts to flow when the notes are being played. A lot of his lyrics have really come together while rehearsing with the band.

I think he has a special style and like the fact that a lot of our lyrics actually rhyme. Like the music his art of words has also evolved over time and some of the never songs have a poetic quality to them almost. There is also more of a red thread running through the lyrical content on the full length that holds the work together nicely.

Alright. There are a lot of things that are (or, well, seem) a bit awkward and different about Septekh - which I appreciate, by the way. First, what is with the name? What does it mean, how did you choose this name? It looks / sounds Egyptian and at first glance I thought your lyrical concepts would be based upon Egyptian mythology, but then there are these blunt song titles such as 'Fuckslut From Hell'...

Well now… The name is Egyptian. It’s another name for Set(h) (Sutekh etc.) that we found in a very old book belonging to a relative of one of the band members. It felt right for the band. If you just dig a little and make an effort a lot of connections and meanings can be found. For example Seth was seen as a god of chaos, storms, confusion. His hieroglyph was used in words such as “rage”, “turmoil” and “illness”. And all kind of abnormalities, from sexual behaviors to natural events such as eclipses and earthquakes, where linked to him. I’m sure you have no problem to see how these things have quite a lot in common with the music we make. Before becoming vilified he was also worshiped as an ambivalent being; something that’s being echoed about us in reviews. Or how about the fact that he is believed to have had white skin and red hair, just like me! In all seriousness though; it is fitting. We are an awkward and different band.

We don’t really hang out with that many other bands. Opting instead to spend our time honing our art out in the country side where our rehearsal space is located. And so our songs takes us wherever they need to go; sometimes they can be borderline fine art poetic and other more blunt and humorous. It all depends. But there is no Egyptology to be found except in our name.

Then there is the video for 'Shoot Them All'... Which is... Well... Weird. In a good way though, but... Yeah. I suppose the word is 'weird'. And 'funny'. And 'different'. Tell us something about how the idea formed, how the shooting process went down, whose (awesome) cabin (in the woods) that is... How much booze was consumed before you had a list with all the mad props done? What is the story of the video / song?

The video was shot at our rehearsal place. So that cabin/house is actually where we spend most of our time as a band. It is also the home of one of the band members. The idea for the video was formed more or less in a haze and digested over many glasses of sherry. We had some grand plans that partially fell through in the end. But most of it stayed on track so we eventually gathered the horde on a fine day last September. There was also a late summer party planned for the same date. So the premise was that we would have lots of friends, a vast array of spirits and all our gear set up and ready to destroy. So everyone got drunk and crazy and we played the song live a number of times while someone caught it on film. Simple as that. In addition we also filmed some material on another date such as the sheep, the beautiful Madame Amanda and that epilogue.

About the meaning of it all we don’t want say anything too exact. It can be interpreted in a number of ways and there is no single explanation. I like the fact that you can find things in it and that it’s got a certain vibe and mood. It is clichéd, but I like art to be a bit mysterious and open. It’s no fun if it’s too safe or blunt. Oh… And the man in the gimp mask just turned up at the shoot. We do not know from where.

The imagery you use reminded me a bit of Lamp Of Thoth, the somewhat 1930s occultism promo pictures, the whole vibe of the name, pics, video... If you do not know them, go check them out, whole different ballgame music wise, but a damn enjoyable band nonetheless, especially live. Anyway, in this age where image is a very important aspect when it comes to selling your music, getting through to a bigger audience or standing out amongst the huge flow of releases - whether that is a good thing or not is not the issue - you seem to opt for just doing whatever you want or feel like, am I right? Is that a conscious choice? What is it that you want people to think about when they hear the name Septekh?

Thoth seems like a cool band (just checked them out). Thanks for the tip! I think for most cases you are right. Sometimes factors such as budget can play a role (and limit either us in our ideas or the successful outcome of an idea) and other times we just don’t know better! But generally we do what we feel is right. Of course it is good to have an identity of your own but I see no point in being different just for the sake of being different. On the other hand if you are going to do the exact same thing as numerous other acts you better do it damn well! We do not limit ourselves (by genre or any other “rules”) when it comes to music or the way we present the band, at least not too much. There should always be room for more unexpected twists and surprises. Even if some of us adhere to and hold a lot of pure metal traditions very close to our hearts we know that this is not a band that needs to follow one single blueprint. From the very first rehearsal there has been something. It is very hard to put your finger on exactly what it is but it is there. These things that you and others mention; the groove, a relentless drive, strangeness etc. together they make up the identity of Septekh. And it is this identity I want people to think about when they hear our name. We are Septekh. No more, no less. The worst thing I can think about is for someone to say that you are “like this or that band but with a different vocalist” or similar. There has to be some substance that makes a difference!

Even though the 'doing what you feel like' vibe is strong, I also get a feeling that surreptitiously, you are very well aware of the power of image, reputation and style and are consciously putting people on the wrong foot, toying a bit with it even. The nonchalance conveyed is almost an art itself. Are you creating a mysterious vibe and 'Septekh story' in which all the Septekh elements have a place, but we the audience never will get the whole picture? If so, smart move! Do you like H.P. Lovecraft?

Actually had to look up that word so clearly we are not native English speakers (the question earlier) hehe. I think we are very much aware of the power and importance of image. But if we have a clue about how to create and control an image, market the band and get the name out there I’m not so sure. What we do best is creating music, that’s our biggest strength. Hopefully that can carry the band.

I certainly hope that we are creating that 'Septekh story' since you consider it at smart move! Maybe it is already creating itself. Sometimes you feel like taking the piss out of some people you meet because they are so narrow minded. Usually that happens automatically though because one of us hasn’t heard a certain band or similar and they think we are joking. A lot of that has to do with our backgrounds and the fact we listen to more than just metal. But it goes both ways; there are a lot of glorious metal bands from the 80’s and 90’s for example that are dear to us but nobody else really cares about.

Anyway, we usually find that we don’t have that much common ground with other bands in the scene. Don’t know why, maybe we haven’t played with the right bands. That may also be why we come off as different; because people expect us to be in a certain way. Speculations aside, we are in a bubble and like being one. That is how we always have functioned and it has worked like a charm so far. We just enjoy staying out on our own edge locking ourselves away in the refuge known as Studio 508 on the Dark Island where we not only brew our own beer (!) but also make magical music!

A very long answer… Almost forgot about Chtulu. I don’t think anyone of us has read much Lovecraft. I have friends who are heavily into his works but personally I’ve only read ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ which I enjoyed a lot!

Okay. Seriously now. Let me guess. At least one of you guys has studied or is studying either the arts, or photography / cinematography? And I would guess someone has dabbled a bit in literature as well?

Well, yes you are right. We are bunch of individuals with quite some talents when it comes to other forms of crafts and art. Nils has been studying and learning cinematography. It was he who edited the video for ‘Shoot Them All’. Two of us are blacksmith artists and pretty good overall craftsmen. So some of the props you see in that video are done by hand by the band. We also have a professional Level Designer in the quartet and a not too shabby painter. As is often the case, creative people tend to be… Well creative! And some of us have dabbled in literature. Read a lot but not published anything. Not yet.

How did this line-up come together? What are Septekh's origins?

More or less by faith (or accident if you will). Nils and David knew each other from before. After going to a Death Breath show together and being blown away Mr. Wikström decided he wanted to start a band. To his surprise Mr. Meseke told him that he thought he would be able to handle the vocals. None of them had played this kind of music before only listened a lot.

So with vocals and guitar covered they were still in need of somebody to handle bass and battery. They met George-Patrik at a party who gladly accepted to play bass without knowing what he got himself into. And they also asked a dangerous looking fellow who they had befriended to be their drummer since he used to play in another band. He respectfully declined saying that he probably wasn’t up to the task. That man was a friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. Suddenly we ran into each other at the party of another friend I see very seldom as well in Stockholm. He told me about these guys down in Järna that needed a drummer and gave me David’s number. I’ve seen him once since then. So the probability that I would come into contact and start a band with these complete strangers was very low indeed. But that is what happened. The rest of this epic story can be heard on our current and upcoming releases!

And how does Septekh work? What are your roles in the band? How does the creative process work for you?

It depends. Usually David has some riffs for a song and then we arrange it together. During that process a lot can happen. For example a riff can change, or be replaced by something else entirely. The song gets a mood and a theme appears that often helps to guide the lyrical content. We work very intuitively and usually stuff comes together fast. It can be that one of us presents material with a certain idea or maybe no plan at all and then another has an idea and runs with the material, totally flipping the outcome. And all of a sudden we have a really strong song on our hands. It is this co-operation that is the beating heart of the band. We have a certain kind of subconscious communication and instinctively know what to do. Short version: Pieces are presented and then fall (or get thrown) into place! Since Nils writes all the lyrics they usually come in at a later stage but not always. Sometimes a lyric or even just a title can be the base of a song.

Other times a song is complete on arrival. Written and arranged either by David or Yours Truly actually. If it is written by David I have to create drum lines and Nils needs to “get under its skin” and add lyrics and vocals. If it is written by me we just need to make room for lyrics and find a way to add vocals since it’s usually jam packed and thick with sonic craziness already! I also have to mention that we jam together. It can be a good way to just let loose and play around. Of course it sometimes results in downright embarrassing ditties that should never have been done. But it can also be quite fruitful. Some songs have just appeared during late nights in the rehearsal space.

I described your music as a combination of Motörhead, Gehennah (not the black metal band, mind you) and Witchery. Do you know Gehennah? Can you appreciate their drunken type of thrash? And do you recognize Septekh in the three bands I mentioned? How would you describe your music yourselves?

The little I have heard of Gehennah I think I liked. They are on the right side of this kind of “party, drink and destruction thrash”, pulling it off with a sincere vibe. But I have to say I really have no idea. Never listened to Witchery either (but seen their name when reading about us before) so I can’t comment on that. Motörhead on the other hand is an integral part of our musical DNA. Especially Mr. Wikström’s riffing and guitar playing is influenced by them. How can you be into metal and not like Motörhead? They are forever one of the big names. When it comes to our own music I really don’t have a good answer. Maybe we are like a Black Sabbath trying to player Slayer songs? Or is it the other way round? Ha-ha! It’s hard and you could go on and on with references and ingredients by I prefer to wait for somebody else to come up with that perfect tagline.

One of the things I enjoyed most is the raw, primitive force and energy, the sheer drive. What goals do you have in mind when writing, or perhaps I should ask, what do you want a good song to get across? What response do you want your audience to have to your music?

Thank you. The things you mention are very important to us and something we enjoy very much as well. A song should have that drive and a good beat. It needs to pulsate and move either in a groovy way or a more relentless aggressive one. We also want it to have a consistent vibe and feeling. Sometimes the message of the lyrics can be important for this. This should of course be easy for the listener to grasp and the most important thing is that it has the power to grab you and move. That can translate to somebody raising the horns and then erupting into total headbanging frenzy in reaction to a hit with lots of hooks. Or just standing I awe when hearing a relentless track that just builds and builds without an end in sight. It doesn’t matter as long as they are not indifferent.

Music with this huge drive should go down well live. How have your shows been, so far? What are the highlights of your live career so far? And any 'Spinal Tappian' disasters / anecdotes yet?

It does. Yes siree Bob. Most of our shows have been good. Usually the crowd gives in after a while and starts to move which gives us more energy as well. Since we haven’t released anything up until now some people at the show don’t know us, so we have to win them over then and there. It’s going to be interesting to play for people who have heard the record(s).

My favorite show is still one we played as a support act for another band. They were sitting on pretty high horses and treated us with arrogance only befitting of an old English Lord so it was very appropriate that we completely destroyed that evening! The crowd went nuts. It got really hot and moistly and we weren’t allowed to leave the stage. They just wanted more. I mean; we even did a cover god damnit! It was a sweet victory indeed. So far nothing too crazy has happened during a show. During parties after shows things have gone a bit far out, though. And interestingly enough the biggest Spinal Tap moments have occurred back home in Studio 508 during long rehearsal weekends! The video shoot also had its fair share of those accidents, especially after filming was done. But I am not telling!

So, when will we get to see Septekh storm the stages of Europe?

Hopefully soon! We really want to get out and play. Now when we are done with recording and have two releases lined up the plan is of course to hit the stage. We are a live band thrive on doing it for real. If you want to book us just get in touch!

I read that you are working on a debut full-length. Where are you recording? What can we expect musically? When is it due? Be sure to make it a bit longer than the average release, because the EP was way too short!

We recorded it in Silence Studios in Värmland, Sweden. It is a legendary studio used by many famous domestic bands (Bob Hund, Kent, Hellacopters and… Hassan!). I don’t think any metal band has recorded their before so it was a bit of brave-explorers-on-the-frontier vibe over the whole thing.

It was the perfect place for us to record in. For one thing it mirrored our own home. Completely cut off from the rest of the world it was this old wooden building located out in the woods with beautiful nature all around. There was no reception there so if you wanted to make a call you had to make a trip to the small community nearby. It also has very good recording facilities so we were able to record everything live at the same time (even vocals) to capture the raw performance. And the acoustics where amazing so it was a big step up from the crypts we have been dwelling in before. Speaking about the music I can only say that it is a big step up. This is what we have been working hard on for the last two years. All the traits the band has shown on the previous releases will be there, but I think the material is more focused and fits together a bit better. Overall it is more serious, both in tone and ambition. It will be released in 2013. You will be pleased to know that it clocks in at an hour with all tracks on it.

Will the vinyl lovers be able to own a black (or coloured) slab of Septekh vinyl in the (near) future?

There are plans for that. Both black and coloured slabs. So yes! Hopefully before the end of the year.

What are you goals, dreams, hopes, expectations? What do you want to reach in the next, say, five years?

That our releases do well and help people to open their eyes for the greatness that we think Septekh entails. We really want to bring out more really good and qualitative albums. It is a privilege to play in this band and we just want press on ahead. Also; to be big in Japan is always a goal.

Alright, thanks a lot, any famous last words?

Be ready for our next EP ‘Apollonian Eyes’ this year. And start preparing for the full length in 2013. It will be a new chapter for sure! Hope to see you at a show sometime! Thanks for the interview! I think I almost can use this as an essay on music.

The Radiation Sickness formed in America (Indianapolis) in 1987, from the Doug Palmer and Ryan Rollins. The main reason why this band was formed, it was addiction, depression and love they had for the extreme underground scene and quickly began to bring up the bottom, and making a similar feel to the space. After some changes in the line up, the band recorded their first and legendary of the demo, "Elvis Ain't Dead" with influences from Napalm Death, Chaos UK, Discharge, Slayer, Cryptic Slaughter, The Accused. The Radiation Sickness spent all their time playing music in every event that they could, but in 1989 the founding member Ryan Rollins, commits suicide (after depression) and substantially delayed. After the addition of Byron Holton (bass), spend every weekend on the road, playing live with bands like Repulsion, Impetigo, Skeletal Earth, Immolation, Macabre, Dead Horse and advertise their new EP, "The Bounds of Reality". In 1990 they enter the studio to record the limited edition album, "The Other Me, A Journey into Insanity", which eventually gets great reviews in the field and two years later, they begin to work on new material. After years of stagnation, they make an all time classic reunion to play in the upcoming live. With a steady line up, the Doug Palmer (vocals), Tom Ball (guitar), Byron Holton (bass), Mike Herold (drums), they enter the studio again after twenty two years to record a new album, titled "Reflections of a Psychotic Past ". Old school American death metal, with many influences from Napalm Death, Asphyx, Cryptic Slaughter and Repulsion. Although composed of nineteen tracks, the length of the disc does not exceed forty minutes, and it's all a short time. Old school also is the production of the album ... Good overall feeling, but I think it loses a lot of volume (especially on vocals), unfortunately. Released in June by Abyss Records remastered and includes a copy of "The Other Me, A Journey into Insanity" (1990) and if all goes well, we will continue with several live appearances at various relevant events.

Rating: 7/10

This review was originally written in Greek and has been translated using Google Translate. To view the original review in Greek click the link below.

Hat is Norwegian for Hate (also Swedish by the way), back in 1993 they where known as Ravner, after a hiatus lasting from 1996 to 2996 they have now returned as Hat. This is their second album under that name and it’s an intense experience. You can tell the band was originally started in 1993, the music is a perfect example of the second wave of Black Metal done right, the Norwegian kind. The music is brutal and raw, yet with a strong atmospheric touch. There is a true sense of darkness to the music, which is very important. If you are tired of third rate Darkthrone-clones and are looking for a true piece of Norwegian Black metal art Hat is a must.

Maax are a band from Indiana that has had their previous albums revewed as well as being interviewed by this zine that started out as being pure black metal but has evolved into a more black/thrash metal band over the years and this is a review of their 2011 album "Unholy Rock'n'Roll which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown in, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them..

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast riffs that combine black metal with thrash and speed metal along with some ocassional riffing that has a more traditional metal/rock feeling to them as well as some clean playing being utilized briefly on one song, while the lead guitars are very chaotic 80's underground metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams, deep growls and early 80's black/thrash metal type of singing as well as some ocassional gang shouting and samples being used briefly, while the lyrics cover Satanism, Luciferian, Occultism, Anti Christianity rock'n'roll and thrash, as for the production it has a very raw and primitive 80's extreme metal sound to it.

In my opinion this is another great album from Maax and if you enjoyed there last recording, you should enjoy this album. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Coldest Steel" "Unholy Rock'n'Roll" "Do What Thou Wilt" and "Black Thrash Em All". RECEMMONDED BUY.

The Gardnerz are back for their follow-up to The System of Nature. An album I reviewed with much praise. This time around the release is in EP format. Fortunately for all of you fans it still clocks in at a healthy 35 minutes. It is clear when listening to It All Fades that The Gardnerz are no "one trick pony". These guys all have chops with both their instruments and writing abilities.

As mentioned in my previous review for the band's full-length, for a melodic death metal band these guys sure know how to churn out some kick-ass riffs. It All Fades is no different. If anything this aspect of the band has grown. Every single riff on this release sticks with you immediately after hearing it. I also see some influence of Death possibly leaking through in some of the playing here. One of the best moments on this thing would have to be when the opening track "Don't Look Back" slows down and goes into some clean vocals. This moment just builds and builds until eventually we break back into the fast paced riffing featured at the beginning of the track.

Each track on this release is really like a journey. The EP is almost impossible to not listen to as a whole. It all comes together very nicely and flows with a vast amount of perfection. Not one track here is skippable. It seems as though the clean moments heard on The System of Nature have been added a bit more often on this EP. That being said the heavy moments have gotten much more intense and I really believe the band has found the perfect balance of all of their elements on this release.

While I hate to dedicate an entire paragraph to a cover song I really think the cover on here deserves it. The Gardnerz rendition of the Darkthrone classic Transilvanian Hunger is simply astounding. The track features beautiful female vocals throughout, not a single harsh vocal is used. The instrumental has a very clean, full sound going for it. It is amazing how The Gardnerz completely changed the overall sound of the song, but even with that fact, this very clean, beautiful version of the song still manages to hold the same atmosphere of the Darkthrone track. It's an amazing feat and a very mind-blowing listen. When I first saw the tracklist I was worried about how this would come out. Upon listening that worry is completely gone and this has become my favorite track on the album, and possibly my favorite cover song of all time.

Overall It All Fades is an amazing effort from The Gardnerz. I thought The System of Nature would be an extremely hard release to follow-up, but they really outdid themselves with this one. Needless to say if you are a fan of the previous album pick this up. Also highly recommended to fans of death/doom metal. This release is truly the definition of what I want out of a release of this nature and it is very good to see The Gardnerz always taking steps in the right direction.

THOUSAND YEAR WAR (U.S.) "Tyrants and Men" DIGI CD review by skullfracturingmetal

By Lister_Fiend

Epic. Heavy. Dark. These are all acceptable adjectives when describing Thousand Year War on their debut album "Tyrants and Men." These Alaskan metallers are most often compared to one of the biggest metal acts today: Amon Amarth, and that is not completely accurate. Thousand Year War definitely shares similar traits (melodic tremolos, lyrical content, etc) but for the most part, they retain their own identity, and most importantly, their own sound.

What is this sound? Well for starters, the riffs range from fast, melodic tremolo madness to heavy, crushing riffs, all the way to thrashing riffs and some nice melodic headbangers. Accompanying the guitars, is a savage black metal influenced vocal assault. The vocals do a stellar job of commanding the music and changing the music's direction at times. Even at Thousand Year War's most melodic moments, the vocals can make the music seem heavy. The drums also manage to stand out with some nice fills and they add to the overall heaviness quite well.

The best part about this record, though, would have to be the epic atmosphere and the way that it adds a whole other layer to the music. Normally this isn't something that serves as a selling point (personally), but the ambiance almost appears as another instrument. Songs like "Spartacus" and "The Sea" tend to reflect this the most. The listener can practically visualize the lyrical content perfectly, while headbanging at the same time. But how is this sound achieved? It's basically from the combination of the extreme vocals and the melodic riffs. The heaviness of the vocals with the guitar melodies mix for the ideal sound needed to make "Tyrants and Men" as good as it is.

As for what didn't click so well with the album. Sometimes the sons just seemed bland and lacked inspiration, like the band needed a filler or generic riff to fill a void, or sometimes a whole song was used as a filler track ("The Storm I Ride"). Another thing that could have been improved is the overall song structuring. Almost all of the tracks followed the same pattern or were just plain predictable. There weren't many moments where the listener could say "What's going to happen next?" They already knew what was coming.

Overall, Thousand Year War delivered a solid debut album, but there is definitely room for improvement. If you're in the mood for some cool melodic death metal, then this band should rank highly on your list of bands to check out.

'Sempiternal Past' contains all 4 of Darkthrone's cult demo releases recorded in 1988-1989 ('Land of Frost', 'A New Dimension', 'Thulcandra', & 'Cromlech'); now fully restored & remastered from the best tape sources available. Also included on this release are the tracks recorded at Oslo TV in 1989, along with a restored version of the rare song 'God of Disturbance & Friction'.

Among the recent Swedish bands emerged a few years ago was an interesting band that contains a beautiful symbiosis of sounds death and doom metal, neatly packed and very well made. It is a four person band The Gardnerz that already has initially albumsko last edition of'' The System of Nature''. That first album, like its genre description give a true picture of a mixture of pure death metal mixed with a bit of doom metal. As such, the album would be without much trouble could appeal to every devotee or a fan of this sound, and it seems that, as such, remained very well received by critics and audiences. With minor changes in the composition, of which she is most noted by our drummer Vedran Benčića from Osijek, The Gardnerz us this year, offering six new songs as a warm up for the upcoming album. What's with this EP intereanatno several things. Out of the 6 songs worked out several musical elements, so we can speak here of the death / doom sound, but with additions and other influences such as typical for other genre preferences. As such, this half-hour EP titled'' It All Fades'' offers something for every music lover. The Gardnerz on it are not something particularly away from the core of their sound, but some of the songs get lighter Epilogue to be closer to its end. Usually there is a melodic acoustic guitar sounds, with a slow rhythm of drums that are karakteristčne for the first two songs Do not Look Back and A Horrible Disease. In addition both the songs offer a great deal of progressive sound with plenty of guitar riffs and melodies that do not sound jaded, izreciklirano. Deep rough vocal arrangements also seamlessly evoke musical atmosphere and quality make this release and, so to speak, strong. After the first two typical death / doom stuff comes to processing Transilvanian Hunger, a well-known fact of the cult Norwegian Darkthrone's. Processing as such is actually totally unrecognizable, and that someone does not point out that listening to Darkthrone-processing and you would not figure it out. The song is quite slow, and that's just a slight sequential melody on guitar and female vocals. A number of strange way to handle one of these songs is definitely a big plus, unlike most bands that literally just'' playing the song'' without extensive modification. The rest of the EP follows the continued progressive death / doom tone continues presenting the aforementioned musical elements with a few new features as a lightweight soprano female vocals in the background of things It All Fades or clean vocals combined with the rough on the last chorus Erasing Bad Specimen. This EP in its half-hour offering quality death / doom metal with a bit more melody than is typical for this kind of genre combination. Over six new songs The Gardnerz presented some novelties, and how will it all together to sound on the new album should wait a while. A solid release, especially for fans of the above genres.

Rating: 7.5/10

This review was originally written in Croatian and has been translated using Google Translate. To view the original review in Croatian click the link below.

Old-school is cool.After being close to non-existent, members from Entrench reunited and have recorded the full length Inevitable Decay for all those Thrash lovers around the globe.It’s good they decided to stick together, because Entrench finally delivers a full length that is an immediate classic. No dicking around on this one.With recent efforts from such great bands as Hemoptysis and Exeloume, the new Entrench rises above with a more convincing attitude and a sound that feels less produced, giving Inevitable Decay a super raw and violent touch.The riff heavy tracks will have you blazing through the album. You can feel the aggressive nature of the songs, that are dripping with speed and those characteristic dirty spit screams.There is no moment for rest on Inevitable Decay. Even the slower parts resonate with such a threatening pulse that you’ll have a hard time pulling your attention away before the album is over. Like you want to!?If you need a reason to get interested in Thrash Metal again then Entrench is going to do it.

Swedish black metallers ASTROPHOBOS have inked a deal with Abyss Records for the release of the band's forthcoming debut full-length album. The band is set to enter the studio this month with producer Erik Nilsson (A SWARM OF THE SUN, AORIA, KAUSAL) to record the album, which is expected to see the light of day this winter. They have enlisted the services of Fredrik Widigs (DEMONICAL, THE UGLY) as a session drummer for the recording. The Stockholm-based black metal outfit has been described as "distinctly Swedish-sounding," referring to the sound of bands like DISSECTION, NAGLFAR, VINTERLAND and WATAIN. With the Swedish and Norwegian black and death metal scene that emerged in the early 90s as the main source of inspiration, the band's harsh yet melodic take on black metal has attracted a lot of attention.

Formed in 2009 by Martin Andersson (guitar), Jonas Ehlin (guitar) and Micke Broman (vocals and bass), Astrophobos combines the members long experience in writing and playing extreme metal. With skills based on both musical training and raw talent, the result is intense and memorable with much variation in style and sound.

The band has posted two pre-production teasers for the as-of-yet-untitled album, which can be seen below:

I have to admit, I have been waiting for this album to be released ever since finding this band through their demo and internet coverage on a social media website. Fetus Stench play death metal and this is hard, heavy and of a vintage style but delivering a very modern punch in the face.

This is a Swedish band, but they are no rotten Entombed clone, Fetus Stench are awash with US death metal influences a-la Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and Deicide. ‘Brennkommando’ is choppy, groove laden, blast beat possessing…I could go on but in summary, these are essential qualities that appeal via a complete classic death metal sound. The vocals from Andreas Björnson sound a cross between Johan Lindstrand (The Crown) and Anders Sjöholm (The Forsaken) and as ‘The Outer Island’ progresses I really feel a connection to this material. If you raise a pennant for old Morbid Angel then listen to ‘Severe Suffering’ as that is slower in tempo and even melodic in places, but what is particularly pleasing is the power, and of course some excellent lead guitar work akin to albums ‘D’ and ‘F’ of the aforementioned band does hurt matters on little bit.

‘Bashed, Defaced and Disfigured’ has a little Lock Up grind influence, its furious blast beats are mixed with standard 4/4 death metal beats and it is a bit of a monster. In fact, this whole album is, I am not going into the why’s and where’s and what’s of this release, but this IS classic death metal very much modernized and brutalised. ‘Stillbirth’ is classic US death mixed with their obvious Swedish influences, I rarely find albums that really have me intently transfixed to each little intricate piece of music, every guitar note, every breath spouted out in the lyrics, especially from a debut album. Fetus Stench should be at the top of your shopping list, you won’t be disappointed.

FETUS STENCH is another Swedish death metal band being hailed by all and their mothers. Not that they don’t deserve it. So what are you waiting for? Check out what Andreas Björnson had to say.

How rewarding is it that the album finally is out?

-Well, the recording/mixing and preparation for the release was so intense and life-consuming that all we were rewarded with in the end was high blood pressure and stress induced acne.

OK, so now the hard work starts. How do you plan on getting the maximum out of the album in order to build on the name of Fetus Stench?

-Due to the fact that “Stillbirth” is so overwhelmingly awesome, all we have to do for promotion is to expose one single individual to the music, who in turn loves it and spreads it to 10 other people who love it equally as much and in turn spread it to 100 people who love it equally as much and in turn spread it to 1000 people who love it equally as much etc. This goes on into infinity and we plan on being world reknown rockstars within three months and two days. We will play a few gigs in Norway for full effect as well. Norway is where we have our biggest fan base, at least that’s what we’ve been told. I’m a fan of Norway anyway. And Hammerfall too, but let’s keep that a secret.

How much of a help are the social media in spreading the band’s name? What help are they actually in spreading the name?

-Pass.

How much does it help that you are Swedish in spreading the band’s name? What doyou think of the current Swedish death metal scene?

-Sweden equals quality – it’s as simple as that. We have pioneers/perfectors in every musical genre that is worth listening to. We, Fetus Stench, may not sound like our countrymen exclusively, but the influences are there and they are noticeable if you listen to our album. We try to mix everything that’s good in metal, death metal, black metal or whatever and make it something of our own.The current state of death metal in Sweden is good/bad. The older bands like Vomitory, Unleashed, Grave and so forth are shitting out awesome albums as always while the new bands suck ass. What the youngsters do nowadays is exactly what Autopsy, Entombed and the likes did 100 years ago and those bands did it 100 times better. The new death metal bands of Sweden today produce albums in low quality, claiming to be old school and true/grim/necro/penis. I know for a fact that they make their records/demos sound like shit because they have no idea how to play their instruments. Fucking imbecilles, fuck off!…There is one exception tho, and that band is called Tribulation (they are relatively new anyway). Those guys know exactly what they are doing. Listen to their record “The Horror” and thank me later….Hey, there’s another exception as well! They are called Corrosive Carcass and they have a brand new album out called “Composition of Flesh”. Raging speed with a raw, clear production as well. I love it!

How did you find your death metal sound? What is it that sets it apart from all other death metal?

-I’d say we have more of a 80′s glam metal sound, rather than death metal. What I think sets us apart from most other death metal bands is our 80′s glam metal sound.

When you write lyrics do they have to follow a specific theme? How do you find the right words to describe what it is you want to say?

-I’m usually drunk out of my mind when I write lyrics so I guess all I really want to say is: WOOOAAAHHHLOLOLOLO

How important is the art work to tell people that “this is a death metal album,stay well clear if you don’t like it”?

-We don’t want people to avoid us by having a disgusting artwork, we want everyone to like it! …And so we put a dead fetus in a pool of blood on the album cover.

I’ve always wondered how you go about getting a really great death metal sound in the studio? Any special tricks to it?

-Hire a guy who knows his shit.

How do you know that you want to growl? Any special techniques to it?

-One tip for growling: Beer. At least five of em before any growl session; live, studio or whatever. Top that with a bottle of jägermeister in the middle of your set and you’ll have a fierce throat that’ll make David Vincent’s penis crawl back into his scrotum. You’ll probably develop a bad manner as a bonus.

What plans for the future do you have now?

-An upcoming world tour in support of our new album, starting in Kristiansand the 14th of September and the last date is in Bergen, the 15th of September. The same year.

Swedish Death Metal continues its roll and the new breed of bands continues their conquering of the world. I first encountered CORROSIVE CARCASS back in 2010 when they released their demo "Rot.In.Pieces", a demo that I was hugely impressed by and gave a nice review over at Nocturnal Horde. I actually believed they would get a debut full length album ready sooner than this, though they did use 6 years to make their demo, so I reckon 2 years are rather fast in the terms of CORROSIVE CARCASS, even though 7 of the 13 tracks on "Composition Of Flesh" are reworked and re-recorded tracks from the demo. This is classic Swedish Death Metal of the grimmest and brutal kind, you are getting turned upside down, thrown around and ripped open during the 40+ minutes the album runs. Intelligent songwriting with a brutal edge all the time, heavy as fuck buzzsaw riffing that's memorable and intense, the rhythm patterns are also downright brutal and energetic and drives the songs ahead, tearing down all on its way. The bass is insane as well, it has a really prominent role in the soundpicture, and its noisy lines can be heard all the time through out the album, paving the dirty road for the rest of the band, a really solid and sludgy bottom. The vocals were sick on the demo, though even sicker on this album, the deep guttural growl slashes, the screams are chilling and the vocals out of this world are just scaring, great work all around. CORROSIVE CARCASS has come a long way since "Rot.In.Pieces" and is playing very well together as a band now, the way the guitar leads and melodies work on the album compared to the demo is quite a step up. The production on "Composition Of Flesh" is also stellar and fitting the music really well. A dark and intense sound, blasting and clear when needed and raw and dirty when the buzzsaw sets off. If the band keeps up the quality and pens some new tunes within the next couple of years, and spits out an album with the same impact as this, then they'll create some havoc and rave. A good mix of all the classic Swedish Death Metal bands with CARNAGE / DISMEMBER as the main inspirational source and a good deal of youthful energy and intensity and well crafted tunes, make this release memorable and bangable! Get into the pit: http://www.facebook.com/pages/corrosive ... 2603437551, http://www.officialabyssrecords.com